Reflections
UHND.com - Paul Malak
December 4, 2000
Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were approaching the
Labor Day weekend, waiting for Notre Dame to open up against Texas A&M? Ten long
months of waiting, and finally, Sept. 2 arrives. The anticipation is over. Now we
can see if the Irish can rebound from a terrible 1999 season. Weren't we all thrilled with
the out come? A 24 - 10 victory for Notre Dame!
Then #1 Nebraska invades South Bend. Would the Irish be able to stay with the Huskers?
Looking at all of the red in the stadium that day, there were many that didn't believe in
Notre Dame. What were you thinking as the game went along and the Irish were hanging in
there? What were you feeling when Nick Setta kicked the field goal in overtime to give
Notre Dame the lead? Granted, you were disappointed when the Irish lost, but you
couldn't have been upset. You had to have had an inkling what was in store for the Irish
the rest of the year.
How about the euphoria when Setta's kick went through the uprights the following week
against Purdue? That was a GREAT feeling. Two of your stars are out with injuries, you
have a converted tight end at quarterback and you beat the great Drew Brees and the
Boilers. How sweet was that?
And then there was the gut wrenching feeling after the MSU game. Ripped my heart right
out. Notre Dame should have had the Spartan's buried in the first quarter, if the coaches
would have let them play. Some good did come out of that game though. Matt
LoVecchio. Has anybody ever
seen such a cool and calm 18-year-old?
One by one, the opponents fell, not without some cause for concern though. Watching
the Stanford game, you had the feeling that Notre Dame was rolling over the Cardinal,
except when you looked at the scoreboard, Stanford was just one score away from beating
the Irish.
Against Navy, the defense gives up two big pass plays for scores late in the game.
Same thing versus WVU. The Irish finally put it together and start to pull away
from a good football team, but once again the defense starts to falter.
And Air Force! Can anyone explain to me how you can give up 18 points in ten minutes?
Thank goodness for the special teams this year! How many games did they win alone this
season? I sat in the stadium that day, shaking my head in that fourth quarter, just
waiting for the ceiling to cave in. But it never did. Once again the Irish found a way to
win.
Then Boston College came to town. The Irish put the Eagles away with a running game that
has been missing for some time. A 98 yard touchdown drive and all on the ground! And that
was after Julius Jones went out of the game! What does that say about the state of
the Irish running game for the future? Revenge is sweet.
The Irish handled Rutgers like they should have. Although early in the third quarter you
were still sweating, weren't you?
One more game vs. Southern Cal. You don't have to say anything else. What a relief it was
when those seconds ticked off the clock with Notre Dame beating the hated Trojans 38 - 21.
How many of you thought the Irish would finish 9 - 2? Probably more like 5 - 6 or 6 -5,
right? 7 - 4 at tops, correct? Well now it's on the BCS! Hopefully the Irish will
not be content to get a BCS bowl bid. They should want more. The last time Notre Dame won
the last game of the season, be it regular season or bowl game, was 1993! It's time that
streak comes to an end.